Melt Away
by Yosuke
Summary: Chihaya just wanted to have a fun trip to the skating rink. However, things don't always go as planned. Now the two have to mend a whole night of bad events, and Kagetsuya's got the perfect plan. Fluff, shounen-ai, sexuality warning, the works...


Melt Away

Yosuke

PG

Romance/General

* * *

AN: I had another Earthian story in mind, but it's so angsty and I don't even know where it stops, so I'll do this in the meantime. This is an impulsive story, meaning I came up with it exactly five minutes ago. I just want something to do at this time of night, so this is what the product is: A rushed fanfiction of Earthian. Enjoy, fellow Earthians!

This takes place after the anime.

Earthian not mine.

* * *

"Ow! Chihaya, these are too small!"

"No, you're feet are too big!"

"Go get me the right size!"

"You're such a baby!" Chihaya pouted as he stomped away with the pair of ice skates a size too small for Kagetsuya, who sat tiredly and frustrated on a bench in the middle of the hall. Earthians walked all around him… He didn't like it. It made him uncomfortable, despite how many times he'd mingled in human crowds. But what the heck was he doing at an ice skating rink? These places were always so crowded and cold… If it wasn't bad enough it was December and freezing outside, then this place would definitely make the night as horrible as it could get.

Kagetsuya sighed. The only real reason he was there was for Chihaya. They had passed this place once before on a bus and immediately Chihaya was jumping with enthusiasm, squealing, "Let's go there sometime, Kagetsuya! I wanna go ice skating!"

Chihaya probably didn't even know _how_ to ice skate… Why in the world did he want to start now? And in the middle of winter?

A moment later, Chihaya came waddling up, dressed warmly in a big jacket, carrying another pair of skates. "Here!" He dropped them on Kagetsuya's lap, who hissed in pain.

"Those things are sharp! Be careful!"

"Just put them on! I wanna go skate!" The boy dropped down beside him and started taking off his shoes, quickly replacing them with skates he'd picked out purely on a guess of which size he should have. Fortunately, he grabbed the right ones. They fit perfectly. Tying up the laces as tight as they could go, he looked at them proudly and smiled big. "Okay, Kagetsuya! Let's go!" He jumped to his feet, in which immediately he was on the floor, lying on his side. The older man stared down at him, an eyebrow raised.

"You can't just walk in those. You have to learn how to balance."

Chihaya groaned, sitting up and rubbing his hip. "That huuuurt…" Pouting, he attempted to stand again, a little more successful this time as he wobbled, barely balanced on his new feet. Kagetsuya shook his head and stood.

"C'mon, I wanna get out of here as soon as possible." The white angel walked towards the door with ease, balancing remarkably well on the skates. Chihaya watched in awe, remembering his first impression of Kagetsuya when they first met and what he had always thought of him afterwards.

"Wow… I wish I could be like him…"

And of course… the rink was crowded. Lots of people. Lots and lots of people. Earthians skating, Earthians sitting down, Earthians falling over, Earthians screaming in joy, making rude gestures, dancing like idiots to the horrible music blasting through the speakers… Kagetsuya definitely did not want to be here. The only thing that was going to make this experience more painful was watching Chihaya's poor excuse for skating the moment he got on the ice.

And there he went… Chihaya, waving his arms like a moron, desperate to keep his balance, stepped tentatively on the ice… only to immediately do a split. A few passing skaters saw and hissed in pain of seeing such a sight, but Chihaya merely winced. "Hurts to do it so suddenly like that…" Placing his gloved hands on the ice, he pushed himself up, amazing the other skaters in his obvious escape from injury. Kagetsuya wasn't surprised. Chihaya had always been excellent in physical fitness. He always passed the tests back home. His agility and flexibility surpassed any others, even almost Kagetsuya.

The blonde shook his head as the boy once again attempted to skate. And once again, he fell over. "Grrrr… I'm gonna get this one way or another!" Immediately, he was back on his feet and moving slowly towards the wall. Clutching the edge, he began to push against the ice so that he moved, but only a little. Kagetsuya held a stern face, but on the inside was laughing insanely at the sight of Chihaya constantly falling, whining and pouting cutely, then getting back up to do it all over again. Sighing, he stepped out onto the ice and skated easily over to his partner.

"Wanna leave yet?" He asked when he reached him. Chihaya's head turned, once again watching in awe at Kagetsuya's flawless movements. Slowly, he shook his head.

"No… I wanna stay." A moment later, he clasped onto his partner tightly, who stared in surprise down at him. Big violet eyes turned up at him. "Teach me! Teach me how to skate! I wanna learn!"

"What? No!" Kagetsuya pushed him off. Chihaya landed against the wall, grabbing onto the edge before he fell again.

"Why not? You do it so well!" His legs shook with the attempt at balance. Kagetsuya shook his head.

"No. Learn by yourself. You wanted to come here, so teach yourself. I'm just going to waste my time." The white angel quickly turned and skated away, once again doing it with such ease that Chihaya could only stare.

"He's so cool!" In his lost moment, he found himself stuck in a position where his feet were slowly slipping apart. Then all at once, he performed another split, and another painful reaction by the passersby was given. Grimacing, he stood and clung to the wall again, gently pushing himself forward, alternating between watching his own feet and other, more talented skaters. Another pout lined his face. "I'll learn… Just you watch, Kagetsuya. I'm gonna learn and you're going to be in shock! I'll get better than you, even!" In silent determination, he adjusted himself and started to take off.

Kagetsuya had made a few rounds, easily becoming bored with the simple task of skating in circles, and soon found himself on a bench at the side of the rink, watching with little interest as the Earthians made fools of themselves. How could this possibly prove to be valid entertainment? Well, Earthians would be Earthians… Or rather, simpletons. Kagetsuya sighed. It was cold… He wanted to go back to their apartment… Get some wine, lay under the sheets, have Chihaya curled against him in that cute kittenish way he always did…

The white angel lowered his head as a blush lined his cheeks. "What the hell's wrong with me?"

About ten minutes passed. Kagetsuya went on a mission to find a soda for himself and a hot chocolate for Chihaya, who went nuts over sweets and sweet-tasting food. Keeping his balance elegantly while holding the two cups, he made his way back to the rink, setting the cups down on a bench and looking back at the ice. His eyes scanned the crowd for little Chihaya. He grunted. There were a lot of children and teenagers out there. And since Chihaya was dressed as a regular Earthian, it'd be a little difficult—Ah ha! By the far wall was the black angel, still wobbling hopelessly but now with his hands off the wall and actually moving. Kagetsuya's eyebrows raised in appreciation. "Well… Good job, Chihaya. That's a start."

Chihaya looked up, but not to search for Kagetsuya, he immediately discovered. The boy began waving to somebody, yelling something. And next thing he knew, a man, about Kagetsuya's height and perhaps just as handsome, went gliding to Chihaya with ease. He stopped in front of the boy, nodding his head and saying something to him.

"Who the hell is that?" Kagetsuya growled. _'And what is he doing with my Chihaya?'_

The Earthian was still talking to Chihaya, suggesting that they had already met in Kagetsuya's absence. The man took Chihaya by the hands and began to pull him a little. The boy squealed as he started moving faster, trying hard to keep his legs straight as they went faster and faster…. Until Chihaya collapsed, losing his balance and falling right onto the man. He caught him, of course, making sure the boy did not fall as his arms went around him to hold him steady. The Earthian was laughing at the blushing angel, who sure was taking his sweet time getting out of the man's overly-eager embrace.

Kagetsuya was glad he wasn't holding those drinks anymore… Otherwise, he'd have either crushed them in his grip or thrown them clear across the rink and at the guy's head. Angry and ready to kill, he quickly skated back onto the ice again and right up the two, who certainly seemed to be having a good time.

As the white angel approached, Chihaya noticed and smiled at him, standing out of the man's arms. "Kagetsuya! Look, this man is helping me learn how to skate!" He gestured to the Earthian, who took one look at Kagetsuya and instantly dismissed him with his eyes, even though he was more than caring with his smile. He offered a hand to him.

"Are you Chihaya's father?"

Kagetsuya could _feel_ the steam building in his skull. Keeping a cool head, though, he politely took the man's hand in a strong, _strong_ grip and shook.

"I'm his roommate, actually. We attended the same school." Hm. Close enough.

The Earthian seemed surprised. "Roommate? Well, you must feel lucky. Chihaya seems to be bursting with energy. He's very cute." The man gave a sly smile to the boy, who blushed in response and turned his head away, smiling politely. Kagetsuya fought the urge to grind his teeth.

"Well, I'm afraid we must be going, then." The white angel's hand wrapped around Chihaya's wrist, tugging him along. The boy immediately began to protest.

"But Kagetsuya! I wanna stay and skate! He's teaching me! What's the problem?"

"Yes, sir, _what is_ the problem?" The Earthian stepped forward and put a hand on Kagetsuya's shoulder. "I would love to teach Chihaya more about skating… He seems to be enjoying it. Why take away something he enjoys?"

"Because," Kagetsuya hissed, "We have other plans."

"Hm," the man sighed, letting go of the angel. "It's a shame. You deny being his father when you certainly act like it."

Chihaya instantly saw his partner flinch, and knew just by which muscles were tensing exactly what Kagetsuya planned to do. The boy's hands flew to Kagetsuya's arm, holding it down before he ever planned to swing it. "K-Kagetsuya, let's… Let's go. You're right, we do have plans."

"Oh, what a shame," the man said, faking his sadness. "I suppose it can't be helped. Well, then, it was a pleasure to meet you, Chihaya." And boldly, _very boldly_, the man reached a hand out, took Chihaya's hand in his own, and kissed the backs of his fingers.

Needless to say, Chihaya was a little nervous, trying to smile back at the man, which turned into a freaked-out chuckle. Then he quickly wrapped his arms around Kagetsuya's arm and they both began to skate back slowly to the other side of the rink, the white angel shooting a deathly glare at the man, who returned it with a parting wave and a shining smile.

* * *

Kagetsuya was giving Chihaya the cold shoulder. Chihaya didn't like it.

"Kagetsuya, c'mon! What's the matter? He was just showing me how to skate!"

No response. Chihaya huffed.

"Fine. I was tired of skating anyway." Sloppily, he pulled off his skates as he sat on a bench in the hallway. Tucking the laces in, he stood and made his way over to the counter to give them back. Upon fetching his own shoes, he noted Kagetsuya already done and waiting. The boy stared at him for a moment, feeling embarrassed and lowering his head. Ashamed, he sat beside Kagetsuya to put his shoes back on, tying the laces and sitting straight. "H-Hey, Kagetsuya… Can I use the bathroom before we leave?"

The blonde man looked over at the boy, his anger somewhat disappearing at the sight of him looking so ashamed. Sighing, he relaxed. "Fine."

Chihaya, hands twined together nervously, quickly rushed to the men's bathroom, disappearing inside. Kagetsuya was stuck out in the hallway, slowly feeling that nice little cloud of depression and guilt settle onto his shoulders. He moped.

"I guess I can understand why he's mad at me... Chihaya deserves some fun like this every once in a while..." Lifting his sulking head, he looked around the hallway quickly for sommmmething... Aha! Kagetsuya stood to his feet and walked over to the display of vending machines in a small walk-in room by itself. His eyes scanned the different machines until he found what he wanted: The ice cream machine. Chihaya had a particular taste for ice cream, he knew. He especially loved chocolate. He'd get him one of these to make up for the incident on the rink, then take him home, be extra sweet in bed to him, then offer something to make up for the whole thing the next day. That was usually how Kagetsuya solved things between the two of them... Chihaya could never hold a grudge for very long, plus he loved Kagetsuya... and he understood how he thought. Chihaya would simply forget it and just smile idiotically at his partner like he always did.

And so suddenly... Kagetsuya found himself thinking of his relationship with Chihaya like a marriage... He grumbled to himself, ashamed as he slipped the coins into the machine. "Next, I'll be telling him to keep his butt in the kitchen to cook for me, or clean the house like a good little wife." He felt like a bastard. He could imagine saying something like that to Aya and she'd comply wholeheartedly, so long as it was for her dearest love, Kagetsuya. But tell Chihaya something like that... He'd protest and run from the room crying. That was usually how their arguments ended. Even just now: Chihaya had run from the room to sulk in the bathroom.

"Oh!" Kagetsuya turned after he pulled the ice cream from the machine. 'I forgot about him.' Treat in hand, he walked the short distance back to the bench and sat back down to wait for his partner to come back out again.

Several moments passed...

And more moments...

And more moments after that...

And moments upon moments...

...Where the hell was that kid??

Kagetsuya could feel the ice cream melting in the package. Displeased with the mere idea of wasting money like that, he got fed up and stood. What the hell could be keeping him like that?? The white angel stomped to the bathroom, peeking around the corner. "Hey! You done yet??"

This bathroom was slightly different from most public ones. On one side, there were the regular stalls. Near the back were the urinals, and to the other side was a wall of doors. Kagetsuya suspected those to be the dressing rooms and shower rooms for performers. The doors touched all the way to the ground, with no visible opening to see into them. But something was odd here... All the stall doors were open, and none of the urinals were occupied... And from what he could see, the dressing room doors all closed automatically, so it was hard to tell if anyone was in them.

Kagetsuya sighed. Chihaya was probably in one of those rooms, pouting like usual. Convenient for the little black angel, Kagetsuya thought. No one could possibly see you, or even hear you well for that matter. The man sighed again and walked in, standing at the first door and opening it. "Chihaya?" No one. He tried the next one. No Chihaya. And the next... No angel.

He managed to go through them all except the last one, where he hoped he'd be in there. His hand rose to grab the handle, and as he started to turn it, he could hear... something inside. It was a voice... muffled, trying to be loud but couldn't. And... another voice? Two males... His initial thought was that two guys were goofing around in that room, then his second thought was that two guys were trying to have a little fun in that room, and then his third, final, set-off thought was...

Someone was touching his Chihaya.

He practically ripped the door open, eyes glaring dangerously into the room... And sure enough... someone was touching his Chihaya. There was the little angel, lying on the bench provided with the room, arms pinned above him by stronger ones, shirt pulled up to his neck to expose his chest, pants undone and pulled dangerously low, almost revealing him completely. And there was _that man_, the one from the rink earlier who was touching Chihaya before. He held the boy down, one arm pinning his hands and the other tucked snug into Chihaya's pants, touching him... _touching him... touching Kagetsuya's property_.

They both immediately looked up when Kagetsuya opened the door. Chihaya looked like he was about to cry. His face was red and he was breathing heavily. Deep shame settled onto his face as he sobbed once. "Kagetsuya, help me..."

And help he did. Faster than the man could comprehend, the white angel's arms flew out and grabbed the man viciously by the collar of his jacket. He yanked him back, hard, causing him to fly out of the room and slam into a stall door. The man groaned in pain, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to stand. "G-Get the hell away from me, you freak!"

Kagetsuya approached him quickly, fury apparent on his face as he reached out to grab the man again, but before he had the chance to connect, two smaller arms wrapped quickly around his own. He looked to his right to see Chihaya there, holding him back, stopping him from causing anymore damage. "Wait, Kagetsuya! Please! Don't do it!"

"That bastard was touching you!" Kagetsuya yelled. "He was trying to rape you! You think he deserves to get away with that??"

"Please, Kagetsuya!" Chihaya clung to him tighter, eyes shutting in pain. "Please, stop... I'm sorry..."

...Kagetsuya lowered his arm, standing straight, eyes taking in the sight of poor Chihaya, near tears and shaking with his arms wrapped weakly around the man's stronger arm. Unable to find the will to move, Kagetsuya turned his attention to the man on the floor and growled. "Get... the hell... out."

Shaking like a coward, the man hauled ass out of the restroom, leaving the two alone. Chihaya knew they were alone then, even though his eyes were shut. He felt the overpowering urge to cry starting to take over, but fought it bravely as he slowly released Kagetsuya's arm. "I-I'm sorry, Kagetsuya."

"Why the hell didn't you call for me??" The white angel fully turned to face Chihaya, towering over him. "I was right outside the door! Why the hell didn't you scream?? I could've gotten to you a lot sooner!"

Chihaya looked so meek to Kagetsuya. The boy brought his hands together in front of him, pulling at his own fingers in nervousness. "I-I wanted to try and handle it on my own..."

"That's a pitiful excuse, Chihaya!" Kagetsuya yelled back. Chihaya flinched and stepped back.

"I-I'm sorry..."

On one hand, Kagetsuya was smothering the urge to slap some sense into the kid and pray he'd learned his lesson, but on the other... he could feel the tension in his mind easing into forgiveness and curiosity. Chihaya had been the victim, not Kagetsuya. He'd already suffered enough. It'd be better to let it go for now. But he was also surprised. This was a first for the boy. He wasn't arguing back or trying to put the blame on his partner like he always did, despite how heavily the evidence weighed on him. It probably meant that Chihaya had truly been afraid. Kagetsuya sighed… There was no need to yell at him. He'd learned his lesson (hopefully). It was time to make the kid feel better.

Kagetsuya grimaced. The ice cream treat had melted, and he had no more coins to buy him anything else, except for a bus ride home. Crap.

Sighing again, Kagetsuya let out an audible grunt and grabbed Chihaya's hand, pulling him along. "Let's go, I'm tired of being here." Oh, that wasn't what he had meant to say! He looked back at his partner again, not surprised when he saw a look of hopelessness and guilt on that pretty face.

"I'm sorry… We don't have to come here anymore."

"Damn right we're not." Dammit! Again, that was the incorrect response! Kagetsuya had to work on thinking before he spoke. And all this time, he thought Chihaya was the only one with that problem…

Without much of a word spoken after that, the two angels headed home, riding the bus in awkward silence. Arriving home was the same. They entered the apartment solemnly, and Kagetsuya went straight for the kitchen while Chihaya opted to take a shower. A cold one. It would wake him up a little, not to mention he knew Kagetsuya would be in no mood to lay with him that night, so it'd be easier to jack one off in the water.

The white angel glanced over to see little Chihaya clumsily pulling his coat over his head, almost losing his balance to run into a wall. He dropped the coat to the couch and walked into the bathroom. Kagetsuya's initial thought was to yell at his partner to put his coat up where it belonged, but managed to stop himself just in time. Chihaya had been bullied enough that night. There was no harm in leaving the coat there, or at least putting it up for him. Kagetsuya walked out of the kitchen to grab the coat and put it in their bedroom.

He could hear the water start to run. Then the shower came on. Kagetsuya never liked to think of himself as perverted or lustful, but… what he wouldn't give right then to take a peek at Chihaya, a slim and pale figure of beauty. It'd be even lovelier if his hair was long, and his one wing exposed to stretch to the sky. Oh, what a beautiful sight that would be… But of course, Kagetsuya would never ask that of his partner. He knew the boy was already ashamed to be the only black-winged angel in existence, save for Lucifers. But to strike a nude pose with his only wing left, a _black_ wing, would nearly kill him with embarrassment. Chihaya had once said that Kagetsuya would never understand how he felt, for his wings were white like they should be. He'd never know, because he was not a mutation. Kagetsuya knew this as well, and fully agreed. He could never understand how it felt, but sometimes, he wished desperately to know. It must be horrible, feeling like a freak amongst your own kind. Michael had been the only one to express deep emotional care for the boy. Kagetsuya would always feel jealous of that, because he knew he'd never compare to the love Michael gave him. Kagetsuya could never be fatherly or brotherly… He had a hard enough time being a lover. How could he possibly do anything else right?

Kagetsuya had been standing in the dark bedroom for a long time, staring at nothing, thinking about everything. What could he possibly do for Chihaya? He'd always been tough on the kid, he'd been mean to him, he'd nearly gotten the poor boy executed during trial, because of his carelessness he'd been partly responsible for the missing black wing, and now he'd gone and ruined what was supposed to be a happy trip to an ice skating rink. What on earth could possibly fix this situation?

The white angel walked back into the kitchen to find some food for the night. He'd have to cook something for Chihaya too. He was probably starving. Kagetsuya rummaged through the pantry, but found nothing. Next the fridge. Nothing. Now the freezer. He grimaced as he saw the frozen dinners he bought, well… frozen. Ice covered the lid, making them stuck together. And if that wasn't bad enough, Chihaya had put the ice cube tray in clumsily. Water had spilled over the side, freezing a tiny pool on the floor of the freezer…

Kagetsuya put the dinners down. The ice skating rink. Frozen water… Perfect.

* * *

Chihaya grabbed a towel from the rack and started drying himself off. He felt good. The water had been nice, and his body still thrummed from the self-induced pleasure he'd given. It would have to suffice for tonight. It was all he was getting. He felt slightly ashamed of himself. He'd grown so used to sleeping with Kagetsuya that now it felt strange to _not_ have sex every night. If anything, it was slightly… addicting. He blushed. Oh, if Kagetsuya had ever heard that, he'd never hear the end of it.

Chihaya wrapped the towel around his waist and walked into his bedroom, searching for clothes. He rummaged through the drawers. Boxers… pajama bottoms… pajama top… He dressed himself and walked out into the living room to search for his partner, or at least a nuked frozen dinner the man _might've_ made for him.

There was nothing. No dinner… No Kagetsuya.

Chihaya remained rooted to his spot, too afraid and sad to search any further. Kagetsuya had probably stepped out to get away from the boy. Chihaya couldn't blame him. After how he had acted that night, who _wouldn't_ want to get away from him? The black angel fought the urge to cry as he walked somberly to the kitchen to find something to eat. It was the first time in a long time he'd be having dinner without his lover. It was lonely. He hated loneliness. It suffocated him. It was so familiar, yet so uncomfortable.

He searched the kitchen for something to eat, yet found nothing to his liking. Oh, well. He wasn't that hungry anyway. Perhaps he'd steal some of Kagetsuya's wine. Hopefully the man wouldn't notice later. As he moved to the fridge, he found a note attached to the door with a magnet. Leaning in closer, he read it carefully.

_Come out back._

Chihaya blinked. Come out back? Where? The patio? The building? The furthest room of their apartment? The damn city? Chihaya tore off the note and read it again. Why? What for and where exactly? He glanced around, then walked to the front door to put on his shoes. Grabbing a nearby coat, he put it on and walked out, assuming Kagetsuya had meant to go behind the apartment building.

So cold… Chihaya breathed warm air into his hands as he searched about the back of the complex for Kagetsuya. The man was nowhere in sight, and the air was biting his face with icy teeth. He'd always appreciated the warm sun more than the icy snow, but he knew he'd love it in the morning, when the light would be shining across long and perfect plains of white. It'd be so beautiful…

Chihaya stopped and looked around. He thought he heard his name being called. Instantly, of course, he searched for Kagetsuya, knowing that no one else around here really knew him. He spun around a few times to look in every direction, careful not to run into anything. Ahead he could see the moderately large fountain that decorated the poorly lit yard. From where he was, he finally noticed someone else. Kagetsuya stood there, hands in his pockets, facing Chihaya. Puffs of cold air could be seen masking his face as they emanated from his half-open mouth, only to dissipate shortly after. As he drew closer, Chihaya grew more and more intrigued with how playful it seemed. The mist would cover Kagetsuya's handsome face for just a moment, leaving the boy disappointed and yearning to see him again, and then the mist would vanish and that beautiful visage would come back. It was just teasing him. Chihaya had to get closer.

The black angel moved more quickly until he broke into a light jog, finally stopping before the man who stood on the edge of the fountain, making him feel even smaller than he normally was. Chihaya didn't like it. Now it seemed like he was even less worthy of his partner.

Chihaya mentally smacked himself. He felt so childish sometimes…

Kagetsuya stared down at his partner with the same look on his face as he always did: Uncaring, yet mildly angry. Chihaya had grown used to it. He knew it meant nothing, really. The man wasn't angry or uncaring. If anything, he was very tolerant and even loving. It just took some effort to make that side show.

Gradually, Chihaya could feel tension rise, and began to grow nervous. Perhaps Kagetsuya was still mad… The urge to cover up his nervousness grew, and Chihaya stepped back a little, chuckling slightly. "Still mad, I guess?" He scratched the back of his neck in a timid gesture. "So, what did you want to do? Kill me and bury me back here somewhere?" It was supposed to be a joke, but the moment he said it, Chihaya realized it came out more brutal than he meant. Kagetsuya was not amused.

"That's not funny, Chihaya."

"Sure it is. C'mon, lighten up." The black angel stepped back a little more, growing more and more nervous. "I-I'm really sorry, Kagetsuya. I didn't mean for the night to turn out like that…"

"Obviously," the man retorted back. "That perverted bastard ruined your night." Kagetsuya looked away, off to the side somewhere. "And so did I. I'm sorry."

Chihaya looked up.

"Listen, Chihaya, I know you wanted to have fun tonight, and I meant to let you. You deserved it, y'know, it's just… I don' like--"

"You don't have to tell me, Kagetsuya." Chihaya smiled up at his partner. "I know. This whole thing was probably a bad idea. I just got excited, was all."

Man, Kagetsuya thought, this was turning sappy. These were the kinds of conversations he'd always tried to avoid. Coughing into his gloved hand, he turned around, his back to Chihaya. "Well, I'm making it up to you now. So have at it."

The boy was confused. He could only stare up at Kagetsuya's back. "Have at what?" But before Kagetsuya could answer, Chihaya saw what it was that he meant. The fountain on which the man stood was filled with water that had been frozen. It formed a small pool of ice. Chihaya was speechless. It was beautiful. But…

"H-How? It's… It's not cold enough to make the water freeze like this."

Kagetsuya shrugged. "Dunno. Found it like this."

It was evasive. Chihaya finally smiled happily. Kagetsuya had done this somehow. He had ways, he knew. It made Chihaya overjoyed. The boy leapt up onto the side of the fountain and wrapped his arms around Kagetsuya's waist, hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

Kagetsuya, as accustomed to being close to Chihaya as he was, felt uncomfortable with such a simple affectionate gesture (that didn't lead to sex), and wriggled a little to get out of the embrace. "Yeah, yeah, good for me. Now get to it."

Chihaya released him and gazed up at his partner. "Get to what?'

"What are you, stupid?" Kagetsuya took a step onto the ice. "You wanted to skate, so start skating." Rather than demonstrating himself, though, Kagetsuya remained still, staring off at an empty spaced somewhere.

Chihaya looked around tentatively, unsure of what to do. The ice seemed solid enough to support a person's weight… and it certainly was a beautiful night to do something like this… but it just felt strange. The boy had never received a present like this from his partner before. He just wasn't sure how to accept it… or thank him. Nervously, Chihaya made sure his shoes were on good and took a step onto the makeshift rink. He slipped a little at first, but managed to maintain his balance. Taking a deep breath, he pushed off… only to land on his chest as his feet gave out from beneath him. He groaned in pain and looked up at his lover, who watched him with an unreadable expression. Chihaya felt embarrassed. It was easier to skate with, well… skates. But this surface was slightly uneven in spots, much more slippery than the ice skating rink, and plus Chihaya had next to no skating skills. He'd be falling and tumbling over all night. This was no way to accept Kagetsuya's present. It was humiliation.

Chihaya tried to climb to his feet, but his knees made way beneath him and he collapsed again. Grunting, he tried once more, and this time his hands slipped. He felt so stupid. Sheepishly, he looked up at Kagetsuya. "H-Hey… How do you stay up like that?"

Rather than scoffing at the black angel like he normally would, Kagetsuya bent down and offered him a hand. "C'mon, get up."

Chihaya took his hand and tried to lift himself up, but just couldn't make it. His legs continued to slip against the wet ice, and he prepared to feel the harsh blow to his torso again, but arms quickly caught him. He looked up at Kagetsuya as the man's hand gripped his sides, holding him carefully and guiding him up. Finally, the boy could stand again, but this time clung fiercely to his partner, afraid of falling again.

"First, Chihaya, you should try getting shoes with no-slip bottoms to them. That would help some."

Chihaya blushed, realizing his shoes were totally unfit for something like this (but then again, there really are no shoes fit for something like this). He tried to pull back a little from the towering figure currently holding him up, but the strong arms refused to let him go.

"Now Chihaya, just spread your feet apart a little."

He tried, but immediately began to do a split. Kagetsuya held him up, though.

"Not that much."

After a while, he finally managed to get it right, and Kagetsuya let go, but grasped his hands just in case.

"Now just try to keep your feet that distance from each other, and push off a little. Don't let go of my hands." Kagetsuya began to move backwards, still grasping Chihaya's small hands as he pulled him along. The boy started to wobble, leaning forward slightly to better his balance, and squealed in delight as he found himself moving along the ice with no problem. "I'm going to let go now," Kagetsuya said quietly, releasing the shivering hands. Chihaya made a few surprised sounds as he finally stood on his own. He was clumsy in his attempts to stay right side up, but managed to hold out just fine. With a small smile, he looked up at Kagetsuya.

"Wow, look, Kagetsuya! I'm doing it!"

"Yeah," the man nodded, coming to a halt at the edge of the fountain. He watched, amused, at Chihaya's childishly clumsy moves. He wavered back and forth a little before he eventually fell onto his rump. Giving an "oof", he looked timidly up at Kagetsuya.

"I guess… it takes practice."

"Yeah," again was Kagetsuya's response as he moved back over to Chihaya's sprawled body, offering a hand once more to help him up. Chihaya took it, and so they continued on, mastering the art of fountain-skating.

One hour, eleven falls, and two bruised knees later, Chihaya was exhausted. The black angel let out a soft sigh as he sat down on the edge of the fountain, breathing warm air into his hands. His fingers were numb, but he'd been having so much fun that he didn't want to ruin the moment with his complaining. So he merely stuck them in his pockets and smiled up at Kagetsuya, who sat down to join him. "Have fun, shorty?"

Chihaya nodded fully. "That was so much fun! Even better than the ice skating rink!"

Kagetsuya forced a smile as he turned to stare over at the building. The rink… He'd momentarily forgotten about that day's incident. He could feel his anger building again. That stupid jerk at the rink… Chihaya had been molested, and what was supposed to be a fun trip had been ruined because of Kagetsuya's overbearing nature. Chihaya had been embarrassed enough, why did he have to go and yell at him?

The man looked over at his partner to find him shivering. Chihaya was trying to hide it, but wasn't doing a very good job. Kagetsuya watched him for a moment longer before hooking an arm around his shoulder and drawing him close. Chihaya blushed and looked up at his partner. Usually the man wasn't this open about his affection, especially in public. Well, no one else was around, but still… Someone might see. Chihaya shifted a little. "It's fine, you don't have to…"

"Be quiet. You're cold."

"Then let's go inside. I'm exhausted anyway. You look pretty tired, too." Chihaya smiled warmly at him and stood. Taking the man's hand, he drew him to his feet and the two walked back to the building, leaving the sparkling ice pond for the far off morning sun.

* * *

Chihaya opened the door to their apartment quietly so as not to disturb the neighbors. Kagetsuya followed, shutting the door and locking it while slipping off his coat and gloves. Once he turned back around, even in the dark, he could see Chihaya's lithe form shivering. _'Poor boy,'_ he thought. _'If I hadn't drawn him out there like without proper winter wear on, he wouldn't be so cold… Actually, if we had just gotten all that skating done at the actual ice rink, we wouldn't have had to go outside.'_ Kagetsuya grumbled to himself. Somehow he always seemed to make the situation worse. Well, what else could he do about it? He was a Negative. Screwing good situations up came with his personality. He grimaced. In the back of his mind, he became frightened that perhaps being a Negative would eventually break Chihaya, who, despite all his cheerfulness and optimism, had cried more than once from Kagetsuya's antics. The man couldn't bear the thought of his young lover ever being broken on account of him.

He could see Chihaya making his way to the bedroom. He followed quietly. The boy was still shivering. He sighed and moved up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him to his chest. Chihaya seemed surprised. He glanced up at Kagetsuya.

"Kagetsuya? What's wrong?"

The man's arms lifted to hold him around his chest. He could feel himself start to warm up.

"Kagetsuya, if you're worried about how cold I am, I'm about to get under the sheets. I'll warm up in bed. C'mon, get ready for bed, I'm sleepy."

"Chihaya…" Lips pressed to his dark hair, and Chihaya blushed.

"Oh… Kagetsuya, you don't have to force yourself. I'm not mad or anything."

The white angel's eyebrow twitched. "Forcing myself? When have I ever forced myself?" And before he knew it, Chihaya was on his back, on the bed with his partner straddling him. "I don't need to force myself, thank you very much. My sexual awareness is at a happy and healthy level."

Chihaya stared blankly at his partner for a moment before breaking out into giggles. "So now you're _not_ gonna force yourself… Now you're gonna do it just to prove a point."

Kagetsuya grunted and pinned Chihaya's wrists down to the bed on either side of his head. "No, I'm gonna screw you 'cause I'm horny, you brat! Now stop trying to mess around with my libido!"

That caused Chihaya to break out into laughter. "You're funny when you wanna do it."

This was just making Kagetsuya more agitated. First he was accused of having a pathetic sex drive, and now his pathetic sex drive was getting laughed at. Now was the part where he made this damn boy beg for forgiveness.

Kagetsuya set to the dutiful job of undressing said boy. Chihaya's laughter ceased when he felt his pajama top get ripped open and his chest exposed to the cold air. Shivering, he felt himself start to withdraw as he always did when Kagetsuya towered over him like this with a feral look in his eyes. He shivered again as his pajama bottoms were yanked from his legs, leaving him completely bare.

Kagetsuya's gaze seemed to soften a little at the sight of his young lover, bare and slender and beautiful, splayed out on the bed for his own personal desire. This was it. This was how he had wanted the night to end.

Groaning once from the sheer beauty of the boy, he lowered himself and kissed him, full and wanting. Chihaya returned the kiss, desperately pulling at Kagetsuya's clothes, everything prior to that moment in that day fading away as he disappeared into Kagetsuya's presence.

* * *

The sun would be rising soon… It was the most peaceful time of night, where the sun was just around the corner, but the noise was still so far away. It was heavenly. Chihaya couldn't get anymore comfortable. He shifted against the warm body beside him, curling around Kagetsuya tighter and purring softly against his shoulder. The man appeared to be asleep. It made Chihaya feel a little lonely that he had to spend this sweetly comforting moment by himself, but knew not to think so selfishly. At least Kagetsuya had forgiven him. Well, enough to want to lay with him.

Chihaya's eyes opened. What about the ice pond? Kagetsuya had gone out of his way to make something so incredible for him… Had Chihaya really thanked him enough? Kagetsuya had done so much for him that night… He started to think out words to say once his partner woke up so that he could properly thank him, but before he could even form the first sentence in his mind, the strong arm wrapped around him suddenly shifted and clutched him more tightly.

"Chihaya?"

Deep violet eyes lifted to look at Kagetsuya, who was watching him with a trace of concern in his eyes.

"I thought you were sleepy."

Chihaya chuckled a little. "I guess your happy and healthy sex awareness woke me up."

Fingertips traced his side rapidly, causing the little angel to squirm and squeal.

"S-Stop! Stop tickling me!"

"Stop poking fun at my libido."

"Okay! Okay!" The tickling ceased, and Chihaya eased back into a comfortable position in the crook of Kagetsuya's arm. It grew silent again as worry crept into his mind. The boy was scared all of a sudden. He could be so ungrateful sometimes… Kagetsuya must be so tired of it. Chihaya had always clung so desperately to his partner. He was the one solid thing that would never escape, that he could always rely on to help him in a time of need. Chihaya needed him. Without Kagetsuya there to make him happy, to keep him healthy and safe, and feeling… wanted… Chihaya could only imagine that he'd just fall apart. He'd melt away. His heart would suffer beyond repair. He needed Kagetsuya. He would always need him.

Chihaya eased his head back up to stare hopelessly at the white angel, whose blue eyes were watching him intently. "What's wrong, Chihaya?"

"N… Nothing…" He bit his lip. He had to say something… He had to redeem himself from what he'd done that night. He flinched. That man… The man that had molested him. He suddenly remembered and felt shame creep back into his eyes. He could only imagine how mad Kagetsuya must've still been. "Kagetsuya… About tonight…"

The man watched him silently.

"I… I only meant for the ice rink trip to be something fun we could do together. I didn't think you'd get so annoyed with it, 'cause I knew you'd be able to skate with no problem. And… I didn't mean to suggest anything to that man. He slipped into the bathroom. I didn't even know he'd go in there… Well, I guess I didn't think he'd follow, is what I should say." Chihaya drew back a little, fear returning. "I didn't want to do anything with him… Not like that. I'm so sorry, Kagetsuya. Please forgive me…"

Kagetsuya sighed, rolling his eyes. He lifted a hand to put over Chihaya's tearful eyes, covering his gaze. "Knock it off with the waterworks already. Perverts molest attractive weaklings, it's how this stupid planet works." He made a mental note to add it to his list of negatives. "You didn't do anything wrong, so just get over it already."

Chihaya sniffed and waited until Kagetsuya lowered his hand to look up at him. The answer, like so many others, was evasive. Kagetsuya had been concerned for Chihaya, and he knew that the incident never should've even happened. At least, in the man's opinion, it shouldn't have happened. Kagetsuya should've been there to protect him from the start, or at the very least Chihaya should've never had to run into that bathroom to cry. Kagetsuya pulled him to his side tighter, averting his gaze somewhere else around the room. He heard Chihaya sniffle, then felt the soft hair rest against his chest. He must've been exhausted. He would have to let this go for the night and they could discuss it in the morning.

"Go to sleep, Chihaya." The man petted the boy's hair, holding him down gently to make sure the boy didn't try to sit up. But as he held his partner to him, feeling him breathe softly and wondering how long it would be before he drifted off to sleep, the black locks between his fingers gradually started to grow long. He glimpsed down at the boy in time to see his hair begin to cascade down the length of his body. Beautiful long black locks… and from somewhere under that hair, from his back, emerged one shining black wing. It extended itself fully towards the ceiling, then folded back to rest against its owner. Kagetsuya stared at it, enthralled it its beauty as moonlight from the uncovered window shone against it. No, this color was not natural, and was the most horrifying thing to poor Chihaya. But sometimes even this most shunned color could radiate with beauty.

Chihaya shifted a little, then sat up slowly. He turned his back to Kagetsuya as he faced the window, letting his long black hair spill down behind him. Two thin arms and one birdlike wing reached for the ceiling as he stretched, exposing the slender body in a silhouette with moonlight tracing its outlines. Chihaya moaned a little as he felt his body ease after feeling so good, and carefully pulled himself onto his knees, stretching once more to try and get the places he hadn't before. He felt vertebrae pop wonderfully, and he groaned in response.

Kagetsuya just about melted in his spot. Chihaya was doing this on purpose. Chihaya, naked and beautiful and aglow from lovemaking, upright on the bed, cast in moonlight, his wing exposed and his hair long, was striking a sensuous pose for his partner and adding just the right sounds to go with it.

Finally, Chihaya peeked behind him at his dumbstruck lover and let a sly smile slip in. Kagetsuya grumbled, finally able to get a hold of his mind after it had become pure puddy in his skull. The boy stuck out his tongue cutely, then wrapped his arms around himself, arching his back. "You like?"

Again, he grumbled. Little brat. Denying it would just make it obvious, and agreeing would fuel the boy on. Instead he just looked away, not daring to tempt himself with another erotic display. Chihaya giggled and turned around to crawl beside the white angel, leaning down to kiss him on the lips.

"Kagetsuya, thank you."

The man looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"What you did for me tonight was unbelievable. The ice pond… It was the most thoughtful thing you've ever done." Chihaya shifted his legs until he sat alongside his partner, leaning over him to stare down into his face. "I'm sorry I messed up the night, but I'm also kind of grateful it happened… You gave me the most wonderful present."

"Chihaya, you didn't… screw up the night."

Chihaya sat up a little, confused.

"I should've helped you out sooner… I should've just taught you how to skate, then you wouldn't have had to deal with that pervert at all."

Chihaya was taken aback. Kagetsuya rarely apologized like this. He seemed so sincere. It was kind of scary. The boy smiled and kissed him again.

"You make me melt inside."

Now Kagetsuya fully turned his head to stare in pure confusion at his lover. Chihaya giggled.

"Just those tiny things like that… Like what you said and how serious you seem about it, and how much you care about me… It makes me feel like I'm melting."

"That was sappy, Chihaya."

"So?" The boy moved to lie alongside the white angel, curling up around him again as he rested his head on his chest. The large black wing folded itself and arched over them slightly, like a shield from the moonlight. "It comes with the job. I _am_ a Positive, after all."

"Chihaya, how did you know I wanted you to pose nude like that?" Kagetsuya had started brushing back the long black hair again and again. Chihaya turned his head to look up at him.

"I didn't know you wanted me… to… Kagetsuya!" Chihaya halfway sat up. "You wanted me to pose nude?? _You're_ the pervert!!"

Kagetsuya stuttered over his words, trying to cover up his faux pas. "N-No! It was just part of the moment when you… you… Aggh!" Kagetsuya tried to sit up from the bed to storm away dramatically, but thin arms reached up to pull him down, embracing him against a slim but strong chest.

"I'm just teasing you, Kagetsuya." The man could feel lips touch to the top of his head. "I just figured it was something you wanted to see… You do stare at me a lot."

Again, Kagetsuya was blushing.

"Kagetsuya?"

The man grumbled, trying to will the blood from his face. "What?"

Chihaya's voice gradually grew softer as he held his lover tighter. "Let's skate again tomorrow night." His dark eyes hazed over. "Before the ice melts away."

Kagetsuya was silent, staring at the wall but focusing on the slender arms wrapped around his shoulders and the soft voice speaking to him. Slowly, the man nodded. "Sure." He decided to stay there to enjoy that moment, held against his young lover in the silent nighttime atmosphere, that beautiful child in such sullen loveliness with the most forgiving heart.

_'Oh, well,'_ Kagetsuya thought. _'At least there are some things that will never melt away.'_

* * *

Ze end.

* * *

AN: Olè! It's done! It took a long time, but I did it. Not much to say now… Hope you enjoyed it. My hands hurt. Good night.

For every review you leave, 10 will go to the "Sane People for the Prevention of Skanky Celebrity Chicks Having Babies Every Chance They Get" (SPPSCCHBECTG) Fund. Please lend your support.


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